Individuals with Down Syndrome compete in the sixth annual Dare to Play Football Camp presented by Ed McCaffrey. (Nicki Jhabvala, The Denver Post)

Andrew Regan’s feet were set. His hands rested on knees as he crouched a few feet behind his quarterback, and his eyes stared up field as he pictured his attack.

“Set, hut! Hut!”

Regan leaped up and sprinted toward his quarterback, taking the handoff then clutching the football at his side. He bolted to the right, dropping one, two, three defenders.

All clear. Regan jogged into the end zone, not a defender in his path, as the crowd roared and the coaches trailed with their arms raised in celebration.

Touchdown.

Regan pointed to the sky to tell everyone who didn’t already know that he was No. 1. Former Broncos offensive lineman Chris Kuper, a man six times the size of Regan, scooped him up and hoisted him on his broad shoulders. Together they paraded back to the line of scrimmage.

Regan, a participant in the Dare to Play Football Camp, was a superstar. He was one of many Saturday, as former Broncos great Ed McCaffrey and the Global Down Syndrome Foundation hosted their sixth annual Dare to Play Football Camp.

Run simultaneously with the Broncos cheerleaders’ Dare to Dream Cheer Camp at Valor Christian High, Dare to Play Football teaches campers older than eight with Down Syndrome the basics of touch football and provides them one-on-one attention from Valor Christian football players, as well some current and former Broncos.

Now he has a two-inch scar running from the base of his thighbone, over his kneecap to the top of his shin, as well as a pair of smaller scars on either side of the knee. All serve as evidence of the injury-marred season that limited him to three games.

The dislocation stretched the primary ligament that holds Trevathan’s kneecap in place. So a surgeon reconstructed it with another ligament and then shaved down the inside of the kneecap to allow for better movement within the groove at the base of the thighbone and for greater stability.

“It felt kind of weird, but it feels good now,” said Trevathan, who volunteered as a coach in the Global Down Syndrome Foundation’s Dare to Play football camp with Ed McCaffrey on Saturday at Valor Christian High. “I just have to be consistent with it. It’s not as sore as I expected to be. Just trying to take one day at a time.”

The Broncos’ veteran outside linebacker was voted by his fellow NFL players as the 33rd best player in the league last season, joining DeMarcus Ware (No. 87) and Emmanuel Sanders (95) on the top 100 list.

Miller, who ranked 76th the previous year, returned from a torn anterior cruciate ligament to have one of his finest NFL seasons and make up half of the Broncos’ lethal pass-rushing duos, with Ware.

In 16 games, Miller recorded 42 combined tackles (42 solo) and 14.0 sacks, the sixth-most in the NFL. He was graded by Pro Football Focus as the second-best outside linebacker in a 4-3 defense overall (54.0) and against the run (22.0), trailing only Oakland’s Khalil Mack in both categories. He was rated far and away the best (33.6) in pass-rushing and tallied the most quarterback hurries (47) and hits (11).Read more…

Just as he did multiple times at the University of Tennessee, Manning — donning a slightly different shade of orange this time — led the Colorado Symphony in a rendition of “Rocky Top” on Tuesday to cap the Taste of the Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High.

Many of their teammates joined the chefs from more than 30 local restaurants to give fans a sample of their menus. Proceeds from the event, the first of its kind in Denver, went to the Food Bank of the Rockies, which provides food for more than 411,000 people in Colorado every year.

Some highlights from the symphony fight song battle and the Taste of the Broncos:

Broncos safety T.J. Ward will host a one-day youth football clinic on June 27. (John Leyba, The Denver Post)

Broncos safety T.J. Ward, in partnership with USA Football, will host a free, one-day football clinic for athletes ages 10-13 at the Denver School of Science and Technology on June 27.

The clinic, which will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., will introduce young athletes to the basic skills of football, with non-contact passing, catching and running drills that are based on USA Football’s player progression development model.

Tight end Owen Daniels said he and Peyton Manning have chemistry on the field. (John Leyba, The Denver Post)

A couple weeks after signing a three-year contract with the Broncos, tight end Owen Daniels got to work to start to build a rapport with his new quarterback.

Daniels attended Manning’s annual Duke workouts in April, getting in his first reps with Manning and some of his newest teammates.

In the months that followed, Daniels and Manning put in extra work to develop the chemistry they’ll need to be successful on the field.

“Whether it’s on the field or just being around each other, lifting or conditioning — he throws little tidbits my way even when we’re not on the field,” Daniels said after Monday’s practice. “I think it’s been good. It’s kind of hard not to create chemistry right away with that guy. The ball is always in the right spot, and if I do something wrong he’s a great coach about giving good tips and how to improve on that. I love it so far. I’m looking forward to more.”Read more…

Demaryius Thomas, left, and Dez Bryant both have not signed their franchise tenders as they negotiate long-term deals with their respective teams. (Getty Images)

Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant is “contemplating not reporting” to the team’s first regular-season game if the sides cannot agree on a long-term deal by the July 15 deadline, ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reported Friday.

It’s an interesting, if extreme, strategy taken by Bryant, who essentially holds the cards to any long-term deal between Demaryius Thomas and the Broncos.

Bryant, like Thomas, hasn’t signed his $12.82 million franchise tag. If he and the Cowboys don’t sign a long-term deal by the July deadline, he’ll have to play on the one-year, guaranteed franchise deal or not at all. If he goes with the latter, he won’t get paid, but he also won’t get injured.

Bryant has paid a couple visits to the Cowboys’ facility during their organized team activities, perhaps showing he was willing to play along in the negotiations — to a point. The latest threat sends the message that he refuses play on a franchise deal — not this year or ever. And that may be enough to push the Cowboys into getting a deal done.Read more…

There’s a popular belief that the backup quarterback position is the best job in sports. You get paid a good salary to listen in meetings and hold a clipboard on game day. And you can’t get hit if you don’t play.

But for Brock Osweiler, who has held that job for the last three seasons, there is at least one better job: starting quarterback.

“If you come in this league and you’re comfortable with being a backup, something’s wrong,” Osweiler said after Thursday’s mini camp practice. “I’ve always had visions of being a starting quarterback. That’s why I come to work every day.”

Osweiler likely won’t see much playing time this season if Peyton Manning remains healthy, but that’s not stopping him from taking advantage of the extra snaps he’s receiving in organized team activities.

“I’m not going to lie — I really don’t mind him taking his little half days and going over to the weight room while I’m on the field,” he said. “Getting all these extra reps have benefited my game.”Read more…

Punter Andy Lee #4 of the San Francisco 49ers punts away the ball for 48 yards against the Seattle Seahawks in the second quarter on Nov. 27, 2014 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. The Seahawks won 19-3. (Brian Bahr, Getty Images)

Getting a new number with a new team holds much more meaning for Cleveland Browns punter Andy Lee.

Lee, who wore No. 4 for 11 years with San Francisco, will don No. 8 for the Browns. Eight represents the number of days his daughter Madeline lived before she died from post-birth complications, according to ClevelandBrowns.com.

“I think sometimes, not necessarily by me and my wife, her life can get overlooked. She was here, she was a person but nobody got to meet her, nobody got to see her,” Lee said to the website. “She was really alive and really a person. It’s a way to honor her and kind of just give her some glory she deserves.”

From ClevelandBrowns.com:

Lee’s wife, Rachel, gave birth to Madeline, their third child, on Jan. 27, one month after Lee attempted what would be his final punt in a 49ers uniform. On her way out via C-section, Madeline swallowed some fluid. She struggled to breathe, was promptly given a breathing tube and was placed in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Because it was flu season, only Rachel and Lee were allowed inside the NICU to see her.

Madeline’s condition briefly improved but adversity hit on the fifth day when she came down with an infection. This was a battle she couldn’t win.

Terrance Knighton signed a one-year, $4 million deal with the Redskins in free agency. (Joe Amon, The Denver Post)

After two seasons, 32 starts and 61 total tackles for the Broncos, Terrance “Pot Roast” Knighton believed he had earned his due in free agency. He wanted to stay in Denver, but he was convinced he was worth more than what the cash-strapped Broncos were offering to keep him.

The 28-year-old defensive tackle had generated interest from multiple teams, including Jack Del Rio’s Raiders. But after meeting with Washington officials, he agreed to a one-year, $4 million deal with the Redskins, a decent raise from his $2.75 million salary in 2014.

But the deal seemed surprising to some. Was he really holding out for a one-year deal when other defensive tackles whose production paled in comparison to his received more lucrative deals?

Knighton’s weight was reportedly a reason for multiple fines by the Broncos, and since he arrived in Washington, his girth has, again, become a hot topic. He told Banks that played around 350 pounds last season in Denver, and although the Redskins list him as 331 pounds, he “intends to be down to” 350 by training camp and the 340s by the start of the regular season.Read more…

Peyton Manning reportedly reeled in $27 million in salary/bonuses and endorsements over the last 12 months. (John Leyba, The Denver Post)

Peyton Manning’s $4 million pay cut this season is no small loss, but it looks like he’ll be OK.

The Broncos’ quarterback and 17-year NFL veteran ranked 32nd on Forbes’ 2015 list of the world’s highest-paid athletes, having reeled in $15 million in salary/bonuses plus $12 million in endorsements (the most of any NFL player on the list) from June 1, 2014 to June 1, 2015.

Manning’s earnings this year were similar to last year’s, when he brought in $27.1 million, including an NFL-leading $12 million from endorsements. But his ranking in 2015 dropped six spots from No. 26.

The 39-year-old, who prefers the term “seasoned veteran” over “old,” is the eighth-oldest athlete and the fifth NFL player on the list. Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger was the highest-paid NFL player, making $48.9 million in salary and endorsements combined. Miami’s Ndamukong Suh ($38.6 million), Arizona’s Carson Palmer ($29 million) and Houston’s J.J. Watt ($27.9 million) rounded out the top four NFL players.Read more…

If you’ll recall, Peyton — in true Peyton fashion — danced around the issue when he was asked the meaning of the audible during the 2014 playoffs.

“I know a lot of people ask what Omaha means,” he said ahead of the Broncos’ AFC championship game against the Patriots. “Omaha is a run play, but it could be a pass play or a play-action pass depending on a couple things: when, which way we’re going, the quarter and the jerseys that we’re wearing. So it varies, really, play to play. So, that’s — there’s your answer to that one.”

Right.

Thankfully, Eli narrowed it down to none of those.

The younger Manning brother revealed the true meaning of “Omaha” during a Giants town hall meeting for fans Tuesday night.

For much of the offseason, Broncos coach Gary Kubiak and offensive coordinator Rick Dennison have been teachers, helping veterans and newcomers alike learn the new scheme and terminology.

Every few days they’ve added new installs to their practice regimen, with the expectation that players will spend their time away from the field studying the playbook. It’s a slow, meticulous process, but also a necessary one.

But Dennison faces an added challenge. Introducing a new offensive scheme to a new team in a new city can be difficult when you’re missing one of the biggest pieces of that offense.

Demaryius Thomas, the Broncos’ star receiver, chose to sit out the team’s offseason workouts for leverage in his negotiations on a long-term contract. The three-time Pro Bowler has been in touch regularly with receivers coach Tyke Tolbert, but he has yet to work with Dennison and run through the plays with the team.

“In one regard it is (difficult) and in another regard, you say ‘Hey, we’re only getting that much better’ because he’s a great player. We’re coaching the guys that are here,” Dennison said Wednesday. “He’s got to deal with what he’s got to deal with and everybody understands that. As far as where we’re going, we’re coaching the guys and those guys — the wideouts — have done a good job. When he gets here, I know he’ll do a good job. Just watching him on tape, he’s a fantastic player and I think he’ll pick it up. Everybody will help him and we’ll move on from there.”Read more…

Broncos tight end Marcel Jensen runs through drills at mini camp on June 11, 2015 at Dove Valley. (John Leyba, The Denver Post)

The play of the day at Broncos’ minicamp practice Wednesday came from an unlikely source — tight end Marcel Jensen.

During team drills, Jensen hauled in a pass on a fade route in the left corner of the end zone while being draped by two defenders. The play drew an array of “oohs” and “aahs” from the players surrounding the drill and earned Jensen a few helmet smacks on the way back to the line.

The day the Broncos hired coach Gary Kubiak, the focus of the team’s offense turned from Peyton Manning to the running game.

Kubiak’s stretch-run, zone-blocking offense relies on a stable of effective running backs. With more play-action and the quarterback under center more, backs are known to thrive in his system.

Ravens running back Justin Forsett hadn’t totaled more than 619 rushing yards in his five NFL seasons before re-joining Kubiak in Baltimore. In 2014, Forsett ran for 1,266 yards on 235 attempts, and Baltimore’s rushing offense jumped from 30th in the league in yards per game (83.0) to eighth (126.2).

The new system has required an adjustment for the Broncos, especially Manning. But the change is a credit to what C.J. Anderson accomplished in the final eight games last season, when he racked up 767 yards on 162 carries and eight touchdowns, salvaging a rushing group that generated more frustration than yardage at the start of the season and endured numerous injuries throughout.

His performance last season may only be half of what we could see from the Broncos in 2015, though.

Montee Ball, who opened the 2014 season as the No. 1 tailback before an appendectomy and a groin injury eventually landed him on the injured reserve, believes Kubiak will use a two-back set like he has at previous coaching stops.

“With the situation right now, you got to use me and C.J. I think you have to use two backs,” Ball said Tuesday. “It’s two-back system based on what he did last season.”Read more…

Demaryius Thomas is not expected to be at the Broncos’ minicamp this week. (John Leyba, The Denver Post)

Don’t let the “mandatory” fool you.

Demaryius Thomas, the Broncos’ star receiver who is holding out of the team’s offseason workout program as he negotiates a long-term deal with the team, is not expected to show up to mandatory minicamp, which opens Tuesday.

Demaryius Thomas will host a youth football camp in Denver on July 18 and 19. (John Leyba, The Denver Post)

Demaryius Thomas will be back on the field next month shortly before the Broncos begin training camp. Only, this field won’t be at Dove Valley.

Thomas is set to host a two-day youth football camp July 18-19 at Mullen High School in Denver, giving athletes from first to eighth grades a chance to learn from one of the best receivers in the game.

Participants will have the opportunity meet Thomas and hone their fundamentals, and will also receive an autograph and team photo with him.

If anyone in Colorado is enjoying the recent bizarre weather — the tornados, the rain, the hail — it’s probably Owen Daniels.

Nicknamed The Weatherman because of his degree in atmospheric and oceanic sciences from the University of Wisconsin, Daniels’ love for all things related to the weather is well known at this point. He’ll occasionally drop weather terminology in team press conferences — “I believe it’s elevation, not altitude” — and has admitted he wishes he could chase tornados (probably wouldn’t fly with John Elway).

So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the Broncos’ two-time Pro Bowl tight end and in-house meteorologist made an appearance on The Weather Channel’s WX Geeks on Sunday to talk storms and football, and even give a forecast.

Nicki Jhabvala is a Broncos beat writer for The Denver Post. She was previously the digital news editor for sports. Before arriving in Denver, she spent five years at Sports Illustrated working primarily as its online NBA editor. She also spent two years as a home page editor at the New York Times.